|
|||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | AN ACT relating to schools.
| ||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
| ||||||
4 | Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
5 | Section
5.625 as follows:
| ||||||
6 | (30 ILCS 105/5.625 new)
| ||||||
7 | Sec. 5.625. The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund. | ||||||
8 | This Section is
repealed on August 31, 2007.
| ||||||
9 | Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section
| ||||||
10 | 2-3.135 as follows:
| ||||||
11 | (105 ILCS 5/2-3.135 new)
| ||||||
12 | Sec. 2-3.135. Technology immersion pilot project.
| ||||||
13 | (a) The State Board of Education shall by rule establish a
| ||||||
14 | technology immersion pilot project to provide a wireless laptop | ||||||
15 | computer to each student, teacher, and relevant administrator | ||||||
16 | in a participating school and
implement the use of software, | ||||||
17 | on-line courses, and other appropriate
learning technologies | ||||||
18 | that have been shown to improve academic
achievement and the | ||||||
19 | progress measures listed in subsection (f) of this
Section.
| ||||||
20 | (b) The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 3 | ||||||
21 | years. The
State Board shall establish a procedure and develop | ||||||
22 | criteria for the
administration of the pilot project. In | ||||||
23 | administering the pilot
project, the State Board shall:
| ||||||
24 | (1) select participating school districts or schools;
| ||||||
25 | (2) define the conditions for the distribution and use
| ||||||
26 | of laptop computers and other technologies;
| ||||||
27 | (3) purchase and distribute laptop computers and
other | ||||||
28 | technologies;
| ||||||
29 | (4) enter into contracts as necessary to implement the
| ||||||
30 | pilot project;
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (5) monitor local pilot project implementation; and
| ||||||
2 | (6) conduct a final evaluation of the pilot project.
| ||||||
3 | (c) The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund is created | ||||||
4 | as a
special fund in the State treasury. All money in the | ||||||
5 | Technology
Immersion Pilot Project Fund shall be used, subject | ||||||
6 | to appropriation, by
the State Board for the pilot project. To | ||||||
7 | implement the pilot project, the
State Board may use any funds | ||||||
8 | appropriated by the General Assembly
for the purposes of the | ||||||
9 | pilot project as well as any gift, grant, or donation
given for | ||||||
10 | the pilot project. The State Board may solicit and accept a | ||||||
11 | gift,
grant, or donation of any kind from any source, including | ||||||
12 | from a
foundation, private entity, governmental entity, or | ||||||
13 | institution
of higher education, for the implementation of the | ||||||
14 | pilot project. Funds
for the pilot project may not be used for | ||||||
15 | the construction of a building or
other facility.
| ||||||
16 | The State Board shall use pilot project funds for the | ||||||
17 | following:
| ||||||
18 | (1) the purchase of wireless laptop computers
so that | ||||||
19 | each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a | ||||||
20 | participating classroom has a wireless
laptop computer for | ||||||
21 | use at school and at home;
| ||||||
22 | (2) the purchase of other equipment, including
| ||||||
23 | additional computer hardware and software;
| ||||||
24 | (3) the hiring of technical support staff for school
| ||||||
25 | districts or schools participating in the pilot project; | ||||||
26 | and
| ||||||
27 | (4) the purchase of technology-based learning
| ||||||
28 | materials and resources.
| ||||||
29 | The State Board may not allocate more than $10 million for | ||||||
30 | the pilot project.
The pilot project may be implemented only if | ||||||
31 | sufficient
funds are available under this Section for that | ||||||
32 | purpose.
| ||||||
33 | (d) A school district may apply to the State Board for the
| ||||||
34 | establishment of a technology immersion pilot project for the | ||||||
35 | entire
district or for a particular school or group of schools | ||||||
36 | in the district.
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | The State Board shall select 7 school districts to | ||||||
2 | participate in the pilot project. One school district shall be | ||||||
3 | located in the City of Chicago, 3 school districts shall be | ||||||
4 | located in the area that makes up the counties of DuPage, Kane, | ||||||
5 | Lake, McHenry, Will, and that portion of Cook County that is | ||||||
6 | located outside of the City of Chicago, and 3 school districts | ||||||
7 | shall be located in the remainder of the State.
| ||||||
8 | The State Board shall select the participating districts | ||||||
9 | and
schools for the pilot project based on each district's or | ||||||
10 | school's
need for the pilot project. In selecting participants, | ||||||
11 | the State Board
shall consider the following criteria:
| ||||||
12 | (1) whether the district or school has limited access
| ||||||
13 | to educational resources that could be improved through the | ||||||
14 | use of
wireless laptop computers and other technologies;
| ||||||
15 | (2) whether the district or school has the following
| ||||||
16 | problems and whether those problems can be mitigated | ||||||
17 | through
the use of wireless laptop computers and other
| ||||||
18 | technologies:
| ||||||
19 | (A) documented teacher shortages in critical
| ||||||
20 | areas;
| ||||||
21 | (B) limited access to advanced placement
courses;
| ||||||
22 | (C) low rates of satisfactory performance on
| ||||||
23 | assessment instruments under Section 2-3.64 of this | ||||||
24 | Code;
and
| ||||||
25 | (D) high dropout rates;
| ||||||
26 | (3) the district's or school's readiness to
| ||||||
27 | incorporate technology into its classrooms;
| ||||||
28 | (4) the possibility of obtaining a trained technology
| ||||||
29 | support staff and high-speed Internet services for the | ||||||
30 | district or
school; and
| ||||||
31 | (5) the methods the district or school will use to
| ||||||
32 | measure the progress of the pilot project in the district | ||||||
33 | or school
in accordance with subsection (f) of this | ||||||
34 | Section.
| ||||||
35 | The State Board shall if possible select at least 9 schools | ||||||
36 | to
participate in the pilot project, with at least 3 from the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | school district located in the City of Chicago and one from | ||||||
2 | each of the other school districts selected.
| ||||||
3 | (e) Each participating school district or school shall | ||||||
4 | establish a
technology immersion committee to assist in | ||||||
5 | developing and
implementing the technology immersion pilot | ||||||
6 | project.
| ||||||
7 | The school board of a participating
district or of a | ||||||
8 | district in which a participating school is
located shall | ||||||
9 | appoint individuals to the committee. The committee may be
| ||||||
10 | composed of the following:
| ||||||
11 | (1) educators;
| ||||||
12 | (2) district-level administrators;
| ||||||
13 | (3) community leaders;
| ||||||
14 | (4) parents of students who attend a participating
| ||||||
15 | school; and
| ||||||
16 | (5) any other individual the school board finds | ||||||
17 | appropriate.
| ||||||
18 | The committee shall develop an academic improvement plan | ||||||
19 | that
details how the pilot project should be implemented in the
| ||||||
20 | participating district or school. In developing the academic
| ||||||
21 | improvement plan, the committee shall consider (i) the | ||||||
22 | educational
problems in the district or school that could be | ||||||
23 | mitigated through the
implementation of the pilot project and | ||||||
24 | (ii) the technological and
nontechnological resources that are | ||||||
25 | necessary to ensure the successful
implementation of the pilot | ||||||
26 | project.
| ||||||
27 | The committee shall recommend to the school board how
the | ||||||
28 | pilot project funds should be used to implement the academic
| ||||||
29 | improvement plan. The committee may recommend annually any
| ||||||
30 | necessary changes in the academic improvement plan to the | ||||||
31 | school
board. The State Board must approve the academic | ||||||
32 | improvement plan
or any changes in the academic improvement | ||||||
33 | plan before disbursing
pilot project funds to the school board.
| ||||||
34 | (f) The school board of each school district participating | ||||||
35 | in the pilot
project shall send an annual progress report to | ||||||
36 | the State Board no later
than August 1 of each year that the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | district is participating in the pilot
project. The report must | ||||||
2 | state in detail the type of plan being used in the
district or | ||||||
3 | school and the effect of the pilot project on the district or
| ||||||
4 | school, including the following:
| ||||||
5 | (1) the academic progress of students who are
| ||||||
6 | participating in the pilot project, as measured by | ||||||
7 | performance on
assessment instruments;
| ||||||
8 | (2) if applicable, a comparison of student progress in
| ||||||
9 | a school or classroom that is participating in the pilot | ||||||
10 | project as
compared with student progress in the schools or | ||||||
11 | classrooms in
the district that are not participating in | ||||||
12 | the pilot project;
| ||||||
13 | (3) any elements of the pilot project that contribute
| ||||||
14 | to improved student performance on assessment instruments
| ||||||
15 | administered under Section 2-3.64 of this Code or any other
| ||||||
16 | assessment instrument required by the State Board;
| ||||||
17 | (4) any cost savings and improved efficiency relating
| ||||||
18 | to school personnel and the maintenance of facilities;
| ||||||
19 | (5) any effect on student dropout and attendance
rates;
| ||||||
20 | (6) any effect on student enrollment in higher
| ||||||
21 | education;
| ||||||
22 | (7) any effect on teacher performance and retention;
| ||||||
23 | (8) any improvement in communications among students,
| ||||||
24 | teachers, parents, and administrators;
| ||||||
25 | (9) any improvement in parental involvement in the
| ||||||
26 | education of the parent's child;
| ||||||
27 | (10) any effect on community involvement and support
| ||||||
28 | for the district or school; and
| ||||||
29 | (11) any increased student proficiency in technologies | ||||||
30 | that
will help prepare the student for becoming a member of | ||||||
31 | the
workforce.
| ||||||
32 | (g) Each student participating in the pilot project may | ||||||
33 | retain the
wireless laptop computer provided under the pilot | ||||||
34 | project as long
as the student is enrolled in a school in a | ||||||
35 | participating school district.
| ||||||
36 | (h) After the expiration of the 3-year pilot project, the
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | State Board shall review the pilot project based on the annual | ||||||
2 | reports the
State Board receives from the school board of | ||||||
3 | participating school
districts.
| ||||||
4 | (i) This Section is repealed on August 31, 2007.
| ||||||
5 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
6 | becoming law. |